Nashville toasts New Year with rock flair, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lainey Wilson at Bicentennial Park

Country and rock music's funkiest fringes were highlighted as an estimated crowd of 215,000 ushered in 2024 at a frigid Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park on Sunday evening.

Headlining act Lynyrd Skynyrd played their timeless classic "Freebird" directly before the ceremonial music note drop to heighten the moment.

On Sunday night, whether it was Elle King (as seconded by her comedian father, Rob Schneider), Skynyrd, or Lainey Wilson, classic rock's freewheeling urges were front and center. Yet it was a celebration of party-rocking vibes in general.

Downtown Nashville's festivities opened with a showcase by Music City-based emcees Tim Gent and Daisha "The Rapgirl" McBride, performing original songs and covers of five decades of hip-hop classics before the CBS and Paramount+ broadcast.

"Regardless of the sound or the temperature, a Nashville crowd on New Year's Eve is ready to rock," Gent said.

Here are four other takeaways from the night the music note dropped on John Lewis Way.

Mayor O'Connell drops the beats during pre-TV special DJ set

"People need to understand that Music City is more than country music," Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell told The Tennessean on New Year's Eve.

The avowed music lover with degrees in Music and Computer Science from Brown University grew up playing the piano, being raised by a Nashville songwriter father and growing up with a brother who played in rock bands.

However, before an early evening crowd of thousands, he showcased his skills as a vinyl record-friendly open-format DJ onstage.

In under ten minutes, Music City's chief executive mixed not just hip-hop to showcase the genre's 50th anniversary. As well, he blended in bits of iconic gospel act the Fisk Jubilee Singers, plus an eclectic mix of Kid Cudi, Usher and the Wu-Tang Clan, among many.

"I'm not a professional DJ, but I'm having fun," he joked.

McConnell offered hopeful, pointed comments concerning Nashville's music industry.

"Beyond just Music Row, I'm hopeful everyone will embrace the growth and momentum," he said. "From people coming to Nashville for the first time to small acts planting seeds for their success by growing their fanbases in independent music venues, we, as a city, are growing a broader community."

Thomas Rhett reflects on the past, excitement for Nashville's future

Prior to performing, Hendersonville native Thomas Rhett spoke at length with The Tennessean about his local history with New Year's Eve, plus how his decade-plus long, 18-time chart-topping mainstream country music career hadn't yet allowed him to play the city's largest crowd and most prominent show stage.

Palpable excitement in the heart of Nashville's downtown hasn't always been the city's calling card on the cusp of a new year.

As a child, Rhett and his family (including his well-respected songwriter father, Rhett Akins) remained in the suburbs and watched the goings on in New York City's Times Square.

The Music City he stood in front of on Sunday night has diversified and exploded unprecedentedly since his childhood.

"There are Nashville residents, then there are so many people in their brand new boots and cowboy hats they purchased as tourists on Lower Broadway, plus a bunch of people making the drive in as I did from the suburbs," Rhett stated.

"Cultural evolution in Nashville is being driven by singer-songwriters like myself whose work is turning the city into a global destination," he said. "Events like ["New Year's Eve: Nashville's Big Bash"] highlight the growth of my hometown."

Elle King, Lainey Wilson embrace the influence of rock flair

Three Sunday evening moments showcased the convergence of country and rock music: Elle King covering Stevie Nicks' 1981 classic "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," the influence of cowboy classic "Ghost Riders In The Sky" on Lainey Wilson's recently-released "Wildflowers and Wild Horses" and the guitar breakdown on Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird."

Wilson's performance, in particular, owed the most to doubling down in the swamp rock influences borne by the foundational early seventies moments of rock acts like the Allman Brothers and Skynyrd.

Back-to-back set closers "Things A Man Oughta Know" and "Can't Get Enough" (featuring up-and-coming Nashville favorites Jackson Dean and Grace Bowers) showcased a band more dialed-in than ever.

In a pre-bash press conference, Bowers and Dean alluded to how Wilson's recent Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year win has helped define the work ethic to which a new generation of rock-honed country stars aspires.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's cultural and sonic relevance

Johnny Van Zant calling King and Wilson to the stage to perform "Sweet Home Alabama" was another seamless moment of that country's recent dalliance in rock music.

As the trio approached the front of the stage, a crowd frozen into stillness for most of the evening began to roar in approval. Following "Saturday Night Special" and "Gimme Three Steps," the sounds offered enough good-time appeal to carry the message of celebration that New Year's Eve is meant to convey.

When asked about the value of including Skynyrd in Music City's final night of 2023 festivities, the band offered a brief yet telling statement.

"That trademark triple-guitar sound is amazing and never fails to elicit an amazing response," stated band guitarist Ricky Medlocke to The Tennessean. "Lynyrd Skynyrd has a lyrical and musical catalog that allows you to party all night long."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville toasts New Year with rock flair, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lainey Wilson at Bicentennial Park